Idol Worship: We talk to Indie-Rock Goddess Eleanor Friedberger (Whose New Album Is Out Today!)

If you're looking for your play-on-repeat album of the summer, Eleanor Friedberger's groovy, sunny Personal Record could very well be your jam. Friedberger, one half of the experimental pop duo, The Fiery Furnaces, and bona fide indie style icon, is better than ever on her second solo album, as evidenced by "She's a Mirror," which you can stream below. To celebrate her new album, out today, we chatted with the musician about the best albums of the '70s, her tour wardrobe, and the first step to successful songwriting:

How did you arrive at this album's sound? It's very distinct.

I wanted to make an album that was in this tradition of singer-songwriters from the '70s. I was listening to a ton of slightly obscure '70s British kind of folk rock—like The Incredible String Band, Duncan Browne, Allen Hall, Al Stewart, and Bridget St. John.

And I started trying to play [their] songs. It's such a great tool for songwriters to try to learn someone else's songs, because often it feels like such a mystery, and then when you learn the chords it cracks open.